FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Some of your most frequently asked questions (FAQ) are answered below:

1. I don't always have time to visit the site. Can you let me know when something I'm looking for goes on sale?

Yes. Registered users can create deal alerts for specific products by clicking "Watch This Deal" on any post. You can also customize deal alerts with just keywords alone (e.g. “Plasma HDTV” or “Puma shoes”) in the "Deal Alerts" section of your profile. Learn more about Deal Alerts here.

2. This deal is dead/expired/sold out. What are you trying to pull?

In a perfect world, merchants would not run out of stock in a couple hours or unexpectedly pull their deals when they got too successful, but we're at the mercy of those ever-changing winds, too.

While this frustration is all too common in the "bargain community," it does not have to happen to you! As a registered member of Ben's Bargains, you can sign up for our Deal Alerts email. (See question #1.)

By the way, here are just a few notable examples of deals from years past that did not last long:

Free $400 from Microsoft - A legal loophole that was around for a while, but pulled a day after the SJ Mercury wrote an article about it (and California shoppers ended up with free DVD players and other gadgets form Best Buy).

$75 off $100 at Ashford - This deal was good for an entire weekend. After initially nixing these orders, Ashford pulled through and decided to honor the discount. Later on they even voluntarily released several more $75 coupons!

$30 off, no minimum at FamilyWonder - This scam was good for almost an entire day. One wonders what the FamilyWonder people were doing all day, because they subsequently canned all of the orders. That is why they will be referred to as FamilyBlunder on this board.

$15 portable CD players with car kits from Buy.Com - This deal only lasted from 1 to 3 AM PST, and they sold almost 1000 of 'em.

3. How do I use coupon codes?

Coupon codes are usually entered during the checkout process of your purchase. This is often within a page or two (of the checkout sequence) of where your credit card information is requested. Most reputable vendors allow you to "update" your total, so that you can see the coupon code reflected in your total price. Beware of vendors that do not show you the discounted price before the "finalize order" button.

One other note: make sure to copy the code from our page without any extra spaces.

4. What's wrong with your math? Weren't you an engineering student?

We do our very best to avoid mistakes, but between trying to get the deals out as fast as possible and serious ninja-level cutting and pasting, it (aka “BenMath”) happens.

5. Why are your links getting blocked?

This is mostly likely a problem on your end. Recent software such as spyware/anti-spyware and file sharing programs have underhandedly altered your hosts file, which controls where browsers look for web sites. To fix this, you must edit the hosts file. Here's how:

Search your Windows directory for a file called "hosts" and open it in Notepad or Wordpad. You must comment out all instances of the servers that are failing for you by placing a pound symbol # before each line that restricts a server. Thus,

127.0.0.1 linksynergy.com

would become:

#127.0.0.1 linksynergy.com

Here's a list of most of the servers that I use: linksynergy, tkqlhce, anrdoezrs, jdoqocy, gan. You can figure out more hosts on your own by seeing what server is failing.

6. I’m not interested in [insert topic]. How do I avoid looking at those deals?

Ben's Bargains is your one-stop destination for the best online deals. We are a team of dedicated deal hunters, focused on finding the hottest deals and lowest prices on the Internet.

For over 15 years, Ben's Bargains has helped consumers like you save bundles of cash. We publish dozens of handpicked deals around the clock, so drop by early and often to get the lowdown on unbeatable bargains.